I thought I knew what to expect from Aftermath, as there have been countless
dramas about the process of grief. Cinematically speaking, these narratives
tend to focus on the process of healing, and although there are certain character
arcs in this regard, this is far from the focus of Aftermath. In fact, the moments when the characters truly are
recovering remain off-screen, allowing the audience to view nothing more than
the devastation and the destruction. The result is a film that feels like a
news story, tragic and pointless, recreated in a fashion fitting a Lifetime
movie.

Enraging many in
the LGTBQ community (although, in all fairness, these days someone is always
enraged about something on the internet), the basic premise for The Assignment sounds like a comedy, or
at the very least, a campy parody of a politically incorrect grindhouse film
from the 1970s. In fact, the film likely would have worked far better had it
taken itself less seriously. It is still laughable, but not intentionally so,
and the film noir formula is so bleak that there isn’t even any “so bad it’s
good” enjoyment to be found. I don’t know how it’s possible for a film so
controversial to simultaneously be so dull, but that seems to be The Assignment’s only real accomplishment.

There are
several classic Disney movies which were far more interested in capturing the
magic of a specific location than in the plot of the story. While many of these
involve humans and their specific location of inhabitation, some of the most
popular give human qualities to animal characters, often playing out like
animated nature films. The Lion King
showcases the plains of the African Serengeti, The Jungle Book takes us into the jungles of India, and The Little Mermaid gave us a tour of
underwater wildlife (with the addition of the mythical creatures of the title),
not to mention the numerous films that show us the life of animals existing in
human worlds (Dumbo, 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, etc). Bambi
may be the most straightforward of all of these, however, with more emphasis on
the movement and behavior of the animated animals than any kind of traditional
storyline. It ends up playing like a feature-length “Silly Symphony,” but with
realism as the focus instead of expressionism and music.

It’s time for
another derivative direct-to-home release from Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Kill ‘Em All is as uninspired as nearly
everything else in the last decade of the action star’s career. Try as the film
might to add in some mystery with an overcomplicated non-linear narrative,
seemingly compensating for the unimpressive action sequences, every twist can
be seen a mile away. Even with Van Damme’s signature kicks peppered into the
fight choreography, Kill ‘Em All
feels like a dozen other cheap action films starring numerous other bland
martial arts personalities.

There are a few
great action sequences in Sky on Fire,
but they are buried within an overcomplicated slog of a film. With too many
characters and too little time to care about any of them enough, Sky on Fire is more work than the
enjoyable elements are worth. So much of my time watching the film was spent
trying to remember or figure out the motivations of the large cast of
characters, which is made more complicated by the fact that several of them
seem redundant and unnecessary. Even when a decent scene of action would arise,
I was unable to enjoy the spectacle amidst my confusion over what was occurring
and whose side everyone was on. While director Ringo Lam certainly proves once
again that he is a capable action director, movies of this type shouldn’t be so
much work to enjoy.

Faith-based
films are slowly improving, getting better scripts and actual actors to play
the roles. Gone are the days of Sherwood Pictures, which would make movies with
volunteers treating the production like a ministry rather than an art form. But
even with these improvements and some actual directors being chosen to helm the
projects, there is often still a glaring issue with the motivation of these
films. They are often so single-mindedly preoccupied with evangelizing to the audience,
they end up feeling more like propaganda than art or entertainment. While The Shack is better than most at this,
it still manages to be a slog of a film to sit through. Easily 30-minutes too
long, this faithful adaptation of the best-selling book also feels largely
unnecessary.

Snitch was proof that Dwayne Johnson
could make movies that didn’t rely on his large physique and ability to handle
fight scenes. Despite a few intense sequences, one involving a car chase and
some gunplay, Snitch is largely a drama
about an average man taking extraordinary measures to protect his son. While
this may have done wonders for the credibility of the wrestler turned actor, Snitch is also a bizarre choice for a
film to suddenly be chosen for 4K Ultra HD upgrade. Even though it is a
competently made thriller, there is really only one scene in nearly two hours
of run-time that utilizes the enhanced presentation. That is, unless you find
it worthwhile to upgrade merely for HDR of Johnson’s worried face.

Independent
science fiction film Ex Machina is
the most inexpensive film to ever win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects,
which makes it an obvious choice for a 4K upgrade, despite the simplicity of
the narrative. Even with the accolades, Ex
Machina is a thoughtful film focused on the characters and overall themes
rather than moments of special effects. The effects are secondary, though there
is no denying the visual enhancement of Ultra HD makes it all the more easy to become
immersed in the story.